A nightlight or night light is a small light source, often electrical, placed for comfort or convenience in indoor dark areas or areas that become dark at certain times. An example of a nightlight is a dim light kept burning at night, such as in a child's bedroom. Additionally, people use nightlights for a sense of security and/or for a nyctophobia (fear of the dark) solution. Still further, nightlights are useful for revealing a general layout of a room without turning on a major light so as to avoiding tripping over stairs, to mark obstacles, and/or to mark an emergency exit.
Nightlights
Several reports of nightlights have been reported.
Nightlights
M. Feliciano, et. al., “Child's Nightlight”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,035 (Feb. 12, 2008) describes a nightlight that can be held or worn by a child and that can project three-dimensional images to provide assurance to the child.
M. Souza, et. al., “Night Light Assembly”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,296 (Nov. 30, 2004) describes a nightlight assembly that plugs directly into a wall receptacle where the nightlight has a base assembly affixed to the wall and a rotatable cover member configured with a low wattage lamp and lens.
H. Elghoroury, et. al., “Nightlight with Light Emitting Diode Source”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,496 (Nov. 18, 2003) describes a nightlight configured with a series of light-emitting diodes mounted within a housing.
Flashlight/Nightlight Combination
W. Wallach, “Combination Flashlight and Night Light”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,051 (Aug. 28, 2001) describes a combination flashlight and nightlight. A traditional flashlight without a backreflector is described with a cap for the flashlight. When the cap is in place, light exits only through the rear half of the flashlight through a liquid, which acts as a nightlight for kids.
D. Dalton, et. al., “Rechargeable Flashlight Assembly with Nightlight”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,961 (Sep. 15, 1998) describes a flashlight with a first light source functioning as a flashlight and a second light source functioning as a nightlight where the two sources share power and a mount and are separately selected with a rotating element.
Ultraviolet Lights
D. Baley, et. al., “Lighting System, Point Source Lights Therefor and Methods of Making the Same”, U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,718 (Sep. 16, 2008) describe a lighting system comprising a lighting assembly configured with at least one ultraviolet light source mounted upon a portion of the side of a boat.
W. Hylton, et. al., “Germicidal Toothbrush Holder”, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,770 (Feb. 21, 1989) describe a germicidal toothbrush holder configured with a ultraviolet lamp emitting radiation in the 200 to 300 nanometer wavelength range and radiation in the visible range. The ultraviolet lamp is on continuously to expose the toothbrush to germicidal radiation. A portion of the holder is translucent to visible light so that the toothbrush holder additional functions as a nightlight for the bathroom.
Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order scorpions within the class arachnida. Scorpions have eight legs and are readily recognized by a pair of grasping claws and a narrow segmented tail, which is carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back terminating with a venomous stinger.
Scorpions glow or luminesce when exposed to certain wavelengths of ultraviolet light due to the presence of fluorescent chemicals, such as beta-carboline, in the cuticle. Fluorescence occurs as a result of sclerotization and increases in intensity with successive instars.
Problem
What is needed is a nightlight configured to dimly light a corridor or passageway to aid human movement at night and/or to highlight scorpions for safety.